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Sam Bankman-Fried had a 'security incident' when 3 men drove into a metal barricade outside his parents' multimillion Bay Area home, his lawyer said

Jan 20, 2023, 21:37 IST
Business Insider
Filings by Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers detail the "harassment and threats" the former crypto mogul and his parents have faced since FTX's collapse.om Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc via Getty Images
  • Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer said the ex-crypto mogul and his parents had been subjected to harassment and threats.
  • This includes a recent "security incident" at his parents' Bay Area home, the lawyer said.
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Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer said that the former crypto mogul had recently experienced a "security incident" at his parents' Bay Area home.

Christian Everdell from New York law firm Cohen & Gresser detailed the incident in a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan on Thursday, saying that Bankman-Fried and his parents had been targeted by "actual efforts to cause them harm."

As such, Everdell asked Kaplan to reject the requests from various news organizations, including Insider, to unseal the two currently-unnamed parties who contributed to Bankman-Fried's $250 million bail.

"Recently, the Bankman-Frieds had a security incident at their home when a black car drove into the metal barricade set up outside their home," Everdell wrote. "Three men got out of the car. When the security guard on duty confronted them, the men said something to the effect of: 'You won't be able to keep us out.' The men got back in the car and quickly drove away before the security guard was able to see the license plate."

Neither the car nor the people in it had been identified, Everdell said.

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"This incident underscores the risk to the Bankman-Frieds' privacy and security," he said.

Bankman-Fried, who faces multiple criminal charges tied to the collapse of FTX, was released on bail on December 22, shortly after he arrived in the US following his extradition from the Bahamas.

While he awaits trial, Bankman-Fried is required to stay at the home of his parents, Stanford Law professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried. Zillow estimates the value of the five-bedroom home at about $4 million, while Redfin's estimate is $3.1 million.

FTX customers have been left frustrated after it was revealed that the crypto exchange used customer funds to prop up struggling sister company Alameda Research, despite previously emphasizing that the two were separate businesses. Individual investors say they've lost thousands of dollars.

Earlier this month, Bankman-Fried himself told Teddy Schleifer, a reporter from Puck, that a citizen vigilante was stopped by security guards stationed outside his parent's house. He didn't provide further details.

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In a filing from January 3, attorney Mark Cohen had said that Bankman-Fried's parents "have become the target of intense media scrutiny, harassment, and threats." He said that they had received "a steady stream of threatening correspondence, including communications expressing a desire that they suffer physical harm."

Everdell and Cohen said that revealing the names of the two additional parties who contributed to his bond could cause intrusions on their privacy as well as potentially lead to harassment.

"Given the notoriety of this case and the extraordinary media attention it is receiving, it is reasonable to assume that the non-parent sureties will also face significant privacy and safety concerns if their identities are disclosed," Everdell wrote in Thursday's letter.

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